


Let the Soft Animal of Your Body Love What it Loves

by galacticberries



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Consent Issues, Dehumanization, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Found Family, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Mutual Pining, Non-Graphic Medical Horror, Non-Graphic Violence, One-Sided Attraction, Panic Attacks, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Relationship(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Robots, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:53:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25873165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galacticberries/pseuds/galacticberries
Summary: Every aspect of Qrow's life seems to be defined by him, even now- here, in Atlas- when he's gone.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Oscar Pine/Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi (Implied), Qrow Branwen/Ozpin
Comments: 40
Kudos: 60





	1. And Then There Were Two

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspiration from Mary Oliver, “Wild Geese”
> 
> Beta-ed by Dirkygoodness

Qrow should have known something was wrong after the look on James’ face when Oscar said Ozpin was gone; from the fear in his eyes. He should have known when James asks what he remembers with the Ozpin situation, when he overheard some Atlas scientists mention Aura and reversing transfers, when he first noticed the uptick in employees in the halls. He definitely should have been tipped off when Ironwood took Oscar aside after training. 

It shouldn’t have taken him till they were being dragged out of their rooms late at night and forced down halls.Qrow takes a breath, trying to work the sleep from his system.

Glancing around, he’s half relieved that he can see the majority of the kids. Sure, it would be ideal if only he was being arrested but hey. Could be worse. He doesn’t know how he’d cope if they were split up in a city as large as Atlas, especially now being apparent enemies of the state. He suppresses a groan as the soldier he got stuck with not-so-kindly tugs a little too hard on his arm- only James could pull this shit. 

Behind him, he hears commotion that makes his stomach turn, and only slightly manages to look over his shoulder before he gets yanked forward and trips a little over his own feet. Before he even has the chance to be embarrassed, a wholly too familiar voice sends a jolt of relief down his spine.

“Hey!” The feeling, however, is quickly soured by the words, “Ironwood said specifically to leave them unharmed!”

Even with his mind running at half his usual speed, it still stings a burning pain to know Clover is in on this. He doesn’t get any time, really, to process, before he’s being shoved into a locked room with all the others. He stumbles again and just manages to save himself from landing flat on his ass. 

“So,” Qrow drawls, pushing the panic in his chest to the back, “Everyone sleep well?”

Instead of responding, Nora turns and hits the doors, “Hey! Let us out!”

Everyone else seems to be in different levels of disbelief- all struggling to piece together what just happened. Everyone except Jaune- whose face is shifting into a horrified sort of expression. Qrow steps closer to him, “What is it?”

Jaune shakes his head, and looks a little frantic as he speaks, “It’s Oscar, he never came back from practice and now-”

Guilt and shame slide snuggly into place as the memory of James waving Oscar aside comes to the forefront of his mind. Oh, gods. He looks around the room as if Oscar’s familiar mop of brown hair will just materialize in front of him. Shit, shit. Every detail shifts horrifically into place and Qrow thinks he’ll be sick.  
  
"Oscar's missing?" Ruby asks, fear making her voice go sharp.  
  
Qrow has no response that will calm her down, help her breathe easier, so he settles for a grim nod.

"What do you think they're doing to him?" Ruby starts pacing, antsy energy with nowhere to go. She's frustrated, obviously, and who could blame her?

Qrow sighs, the memory of a machine and a girl hidden beneath the might of Beacon, tucked away in the catacombs of the school lingers unpleasantly like a bad taste in his mouth. 

He remembers Ozpin's silent horror when James proposed it.

"Nothing good."

Ruby clenches her fists and turns to the door, all restless passion and righteous anger "We can't let them do this." 

He lets his head drop against the wall he's resting against, "Don't think we have much of a choice, kiddo." 

Even as he says it, his mind is spinning— frantic to produce a solution. Oscar is just a kid, a kid that's in this mess through no fault of his own. Just here because life's a bitch. They have to do what they can to save him. And, he thinks, they might not be alone in that front.

Yang pipes up from the corner, "We've gotten out of worse, haven't we?" 

Blake nods her encouragement at the same time Wiess dismisses it, "No, we haven't. We can't go up against half the military and the ace operatives with no weapons-"

"You don't-" Jaune starts, before he's shut down. 

"I do!" Wiess snaps before she exhales softly and straightens her posture. "We are locked in a vault, surrounded by hundreds of soldiers and the most elite team of hunters in Atlas— all of which are deathly loyal to Ironwood. We have no weapons, no means of defense, no plan and we don't even know where Oscar _is_." 

She looks around the room, and at that moment she reminds Qrow so much of her older sister. "So tell me, what exactly can we do?" 

The silent defeat turns his stomach, absolutely hating not having a solid, concise way out.

The rooms quiet for a moment, before Yang pipes up again, "Well, we can't just sit here while they do gods know what to him!" 

"Yang you don't even have your arm, and unless Ruby's eyes work on doors we're stuck down here!" The childlike desperation that comes out in her voice finally pushes him to do something. 

He's not sure what they should do, but he's pretty scrappy. He'll figure something out.

"Weiss-" He begins, before she turns on him. 

"Don't tell me I'm wrong." She looks him dead in the eyes, confidence never wavering.

He holds his hands up, "I wasn't going too, I'm just saying I might have a way to get us out that doesn't involve punching or breaking down doors."

All eyes shift to him as Ruby stops her pacing and turns, "What do you have in mind?"

-

Qrow had flirted his way out of plenty of terrible situations and he had never lost a lick of sleep over never calling them back. But honestly this one felt the worst. Maybe because, if they had met decades ago, if they existed in a different world, a world without monsters or gods or destinies, he might have wanted to actually call this one back. 

He took a breath and leaned against the crack of the door, peering out to see if he could notice the familiar silhouette. Part of him hopes for an empty response, still uncomfortable at the thought of Clover actually letting this happen stays an awful thought in the back of his head, but Qrow knows he needs to try, "Clover?"

A deafening silence, like everyone out there, is afraid that their breath will give them away. Qrow begins to clear his throat before he starts to try a different tactic when he hears a sudden shuffling of feet partnered with harsh whispers. 

"Qrow," Clover's voice comes with a heavy mix of guilt and relief, "it's me. How'd you know I'd be here?" A soft chuckle filters through the heavy metal.

Qrow has to physically swallow back his regret, the words dripping from his tongue, sticky and hot with shame. "Because I'm just that lucky." 

Clover gives a small snort, and Qrow feels his cheeks heat up as his chest clenches. "I need your help-"

"I can't." Clover's voice grows hard and professional in an instant, but there's that soft edge that remains. "I can't help you."

Qrow's hand against the door tightens into a fist, "Then help the kid, this isn't his fault." 

There's a sharp inhale, a moment of bearly admitted weakness. Qrow presses against that chink in the armor. "Come on, Clover, you know Oscar. He's the dorky little kid who hardly knows his left from his right. He's more of a civilian than a fighter, and he's certainly not the _issue._ "

He plays up Oscar’s incompetency because he knows that it's going to be what breaks their makeshift guard. "He's _fourteen_ , he's a kid for Brother's sake. Just try and talk James down if that's all you can do."

"You know that I can't." Clover's voice sounds distant, but not like he's actually pulling away. Qrow chases that sound.

"Then let me." 

Clover sighs, a defeated and hopeless noise. "Qrow-"

"If you had completely ruled it out then you wouldn't have set the others away." It's a gamble, and everyone behind Qrow knows it. 

There's no way to be sure that Marrow and the others aren't out there right now listening, but Qrow's banking on the fact that he's still got Clover leaning against the door and taking. He's banking on a relationship that he's bending to his favor.

His throat tightens.

There’s a pregnant pause when he feels more then hears the door’s lock start to shift as it begins to be pried open. There’s a shocked chorus of muted cheers in the room behind him but Qrow is more focused on Clover’s miserable expression that meets his own, “I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I?” 

Before Qrow can even open his mouth, Ruby is already out the door and speaking for him, “You’d regret it more if you’d kept the door closed. Now, where is he?”

Everyone else filters out relatively quickly as Clover looks down at Ruby, conflict distorting his expression. “I can try and take you there, but there’s no guarantee that… _whatever_ Ironwood is doing isn’t already done. This could all be pointless." 

“What are you trying to say? That he’s dead?” Yang buts in, hotheaded temper getting the better of her again. 

Clover doesn’t even flinch, “Maybe.”

A sick feeling lands in Qrow's gut as cold horror washes over the crowd in waves, including Qrow. The thought that Oscar could be hurt, _really hurt._ He had never really- never actually apologized or- or even tried to. He had taken Oscar’s forgiveness as a given and now, now he could be dea-

He chokes back a shudder, refusing to give the concept anymore thought. 

“Then we should start moving.”

-

The building seems so much larger than it did before. The halls feel like they wind on forever, and all Qrow can do is just keep following Clover. At this rate, he feels like it's going to drive him mad. The slight ache in his legs from overuse gives him a desperate sort of feeling for more speed. He can feel himself, without even considering it, pulling at the ancient magic that was trusted to him all those years ago. He pushes it aside.

Behind him, he can hear Jaune and Blake make up the tail end. Yang, Weiss, and Ren are spread out beside him as Ruby and Nora run in front; all while Clover leads them around this labyrinth of a building. 

If Qrow was by himself, if he knew where they were going, he would have transformed by now. He would be there by now. 

He's never felt weighed down by these kids before, too often he can't help but feel his own gratitude at how resilient they are. At how they just keep going. But right now he wishes this was a solo mission, he wishes he was free to do whatever necessary.

Clover finally slows down after what feels like ages to reveal a heavy door; a high-tech keypad on its right. He walks over and punches in a code before swinging the door open, "Here we are." 

They rush into the room, Qrow's head is on a swivel as he tries to gauge how the interior is set up when bright, red rose petals bloom past him. He follows the trail they leave, willing to trust her instincts. Everyone seems to have the same thought as they all go running in that direction. Well, everyone except Clover who remains glued to his posting; guilt lining his features. Qrow slows to a stop and turns, as a mix of feelings ( _Of course he wouldn’t help them too much, he oversaw them being locked up_ -) threaten to break into a scream. 

"You coming?"

Clover flicks his gaze behind Qrow before returning. "I can't. You know I can't. I got you this far but that's all I can do."

"Clover-"

"Qrow," Clover cuts him off, "Qrow, go. Go do the right thing."

He shakes his head, "You could do it with me."

Clover takes a step back, looking at the ground.

Hesitation and desire pull at Qrow's heels, threatening to push him backwards before he's remembering Amber and Pyyrah and Oscar's stupid laugh, then he's spun around again— sprinting in the direction of his family.

Less than a minute later and he sees them up against a wall of windows with Ruby fruitless banging her fist against the glass. "General! General, please!" 

Ironwood flinches, eyes wide with something almost akin to guilt or maybe shame before they harden. He turns away, barking orders at Atlas employees in sharp white coats, with stiff stances and cold eyes. Qrow runs over and sees the exact machine Ozpin had argued so heavily against. He sees it being used on Oscar. He feels sick.

"You're hurting him! Oscar! You'll kill him! Please, please! General!"

Yang joins her sister's side, a flash of red and fire and she's kicking on the same glass that could withstand an Ursa. They don't stand a chance. 

Qrow runs over to the door, and slams his fist against it, "James! James, you moron! This won't bring him back! Open the goddamn door!" 

His gaze flits around the room for something, _anything_ , but all he sees is a sterile viewing room. He wants to scream. 

He turns back, then- a rough hand pulls him away. Clover replaces the door in his line of sight, punching a code hastily into the keypad. The door opens with a hiss, sliding across the floor. Qrow somehow manages to move before Ruby, shoving himself past Clover and into the room. 

His first thought is to kick James' ass, to make him stop or at least pay but he hears him say " _Open it_." and as he sees the glass tube slide open, and sees Oscar passed out, he knows they failed. 

But even that realization pales in comparison to what- _who_ \- falls out of the other fucking tube.

Qrow sees him, _him_ , as in his boss, his mentor, his friend, his everything, fall out of that fucked up machine. His knees buckle, eyes fluttering open briefly as he lands face first on the ground with a weighty thunk.

Qrow stutter-steps forward— the name escaping from his throat instinctively even after all these years; unchanging, " _Oz_." 


	2. Highs and Lows but Mostly the In-Betweens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-ed by dirkygoodness

Silence, then, absolute and incomprehensible chaos. 

Ruby rushes past to Oscar, petals dancing in her wake. Her hands fly up to frame his face- she might be crying, Qrow can't tell- her mouth spouting muted words that Qrow's ears can't register. Nora and Jaune follow her, hands coming to rest or push on her back, or maybe both. They're speaking too, it seems, heads spinning as they desperately look for answers to the never-ending questions.

Yang shoves through the herd of white coats, pushing without remorse. Her knuckles find Ironwood's collar as she shoves him up against a wall, she's screaming too. Her voice joins the white noise surrounding Qrow, as Blake rushes to her side as always. Ren and Clover seem to be running too. Bodies move and shuffle past, sounds cascade down around him as a dead zone of senses blinds him to everything but Ozpin.

Ozpin, Ozpin, Ozpin.

It's Oz; despite him being burned, stained red, and left cold on the vault floor. It's Oz; despite the wind chill and the broken voice of a child saying _He's gone_. It's Oz; despite everything.

It's Oz.

He tries to get his legs to function, to move but he's stuck. Stuck in the whirlwind of emotions at seeing Ozpin again. He looks so, so similar to the Ozpin in his memories. Far more real, far more alive. A sort of inhumane glow to him.

There are figures moving, shifting in and out of his line of sight. Blocking Oz. 

It doesn't matter, because he can't _stop_ seeing Oz. Ozpin. Professor. Boss. Friend. Oz.

"-cle Qrow? Uncle Qrow? Are- are you okay?" Qrow's breathes are screaming in his ears, loud rush of air going through him. 

Ruby is standing in front of him, eyes tight with concern. She's holding up Oscar— god he looks so _small_. He keeps his gaze locked on her because if he looks back, then he'll never look away.

He's frozen there, unmoving, unbreathing, as Ruby talks. Her words fade in and out of focus, and Qrow does his best not to look down.

It's Clover who takes action, who grabs him carefully by the arm and leads him out of the room. Qrow walks with him, only distantly aware of everything else besides the person laying on the floor. 

Still, in spite or maybe because of all of his feelings- anger, hurt, betrayal- his thoughts pound in time with his breathing.

Oz, Oz, Oz. 

-

Qrow doesn't know how long he's been sitting in what he's pretty sure is an Atlas hospital's waiting room. He's not 100% on that. He’s not 100% on anything right now, though he's better now then before, his head is clearer, calmer and more focused than it was. 

An empty, draining sort of calm that he has to actively maintain but not the screaming panic from before.

Somewhere between Clover leading him out of that room and the ill-defined now, the kids joined him. Ruby sits next to him, then Yang, and then the others. At some point, they returned Yang's arm- but again, he's foggy on the details. Oscar's absence burns on all of their minds. The silence sits heavy on all of them, but no one has the heart to break it. There's nothing to be said, they all saw the same thing in the room. They all saw him. 

It's this heavy kind of knowledge, one that no one wants to bear. It sits differently with all of them. His betrayal still turning uniquely within all of them, none of them willing to voice it. That day, near the crash site of a train, stuck in a blizzard with the unfortunate sort of truth, they lost more than their mission or their plan. 

He was their friend, their teacher, and to Qrow he was so much more.

Qrow has no idea what he's feeling, let alone the rest of them. Honestly, He’s not sure he wants to find out, in this case, but he knows he wants to help the kids where he can. He closes his eyes, briefly, and opens them again with a new kind of determination that puts the more- _confusing_ parts of today's events in the back of his mind.

Ruby's eyes are trained on the wall, eying the door parallel to them. She's tense with concern, it stiffens her expression and posture. It's not surprising to him, of course. Oscar has made himself such an important part of her- of their- lives. He's become vital to all of this, this small cluster of people who can’t really afford to lose anyone else.

"He's going to be alright." Qrow turns towards her, keeping his voice soft and gentle. 

Ruby swallows, hands clenching into her skirt. "Which one?"

A new tense wave of anticipation settles over the group. Nausea builds in his throat, burning it's way up. So much for not talking about it. Weiss shifts and speaks, a nervous sort of weight in her words. "We all saw that then, right? We all saw Oz- Ozpin?" 

Yes, yeah of course they did. But how could they, he, how could Qrow say that out loud?

Yang crosses her arms, and near whispers. "Sure fucking looked like him, at least."

And it did, it looked so, so much like him. Like it was him, almost.

Blake rests her hand on Yang's shoulder, present and reassuring. "I guess we'll find out."

-

Clover enters through the door, probably a strategic move on James’ part. Show them the Atlas employee they're the least likely to maim. He steps in front of the group like he's giving a class presentation with perfect form and posture. Qrow kinda wants to hit him.

"Oscar's going to make a full recovery. He'll be fine. If you want, two at a time, you can go see him." He stops there, waiting for something that evidently he doesn't get.

Ruby lets out a sigh of relief, and where Qrow would expect her to be up and running towards Oscar's room she remains rooted to her seat. Eyes facing forward, with the same concentration on the issue at hand that Summer had. 

"And the other?" 

Clover shifts, falling out of stance for a second and locking eyes with Qrow, before he recovers. "He's... unavailable, at the moment." 

"The hell does that mean?" Yang says and moves to stand, while Qrow stays glued to his seat. Everything growing unpleasantly numb and unregistering.

"It means you can visit Oscar but not him. Just let this one go, for now, Ironwood will be with you in a moment to answer your questions. Anyone who wants to see Oscar- follow me."

Ruby does move this time, and slowly the rest of them all get up and follow her. Qrow finds himself unable to stand, unable to follow. Stuck in the memory of someone- again. He wants to see the kid, absolutely, but finds himself stagnant. Unwilling to break himself out of this limbo.

"Qrow, you coming?" Clover's voice reaches him, somehow, and he manages to find his legs.

-

As it turns out, they are in fact in a hospital. Or at least the Atlas-military equivalent. The hallways are long and the bright white draining. They hardly see anyone besides the occasional aid or nurse hustling in the opposite direction of them. 

By the time they get to Oscar's room, the two-people-in-the-room rule lasts about four seconds before Nora is pushing herself into the room with Ruby and Yang. Clover doesn't even try to protest, just gives a quick "I'll leave you alone" and exits. Good. Him being here was making Qrow's head spin. 

The room is sterile, the bed small and unwelcoming. Even so, Oscar seems dwarfed by the sheer magnitude of the situation. He seems so young. He is so young. 

Qrow eyes shoot around the room, hit by the unyielding pit of childhoods stolen.

Gods, they're all so young. At the beginning of all this, they were just kids. All of them. He looks down and wonders if he was ever really that tiny or if that part of his life was just some awful fever dream. 

They all begin to carefully move around and assume their positions in the room, settling in an uncomfortable situation. The weight of the day sits heavy on their shoulders, the toll displayed on their faces. But they take some comfort with each other, in the close proximity of safety.

The clock ticks slowly by, and their time there remains relatively uninterrupted, with only the occasional aid coming in to reposition Oscar and to ask if anyone needs anything. They seem earnest and sincere; a rare and undervalued trait in the cold height of Atlas. 

Besides that, the room remains almost lifeless. The only evidence that it isn't is the steady beep of Oscar's heart monitor. It's a pressure in his chest, painful and sharp. The sound lulls in the background, a constant reminder he's still there, alive but not well. Him, but damaged— hurt. Qrow knows it would be worse if it stopped, Qrow knows it would be a different monotone weight on his chest then.

It's the third time the aid enters, by then hours have passed with almost everyone dozing. Nora and Jaune are asleep, with Ren well on the way. Yang and Blake rest against one another, eyes slipping closed in time with the other. Only Ruby and Qrow stay fully alert, her next to Oscar's bed, fingers entwined with his, as Qrow leans against the wall. 

A few minutes after the aid enters the door opens again and James enters with confidence and a horrific lack of remorse. "They did tell you he'll make a full recovery, right?" 

"Yeah general, they did." Ruby turns on him with cold eyes. 

James seems to shrink under her intensity, but stands his ground. "There will be minimal to no lasting effects."

"Does that make it okay to you?"

The aid shrinks back and makes their way out of the room, before stopping and opening their mouth to speak. 

"You're dismissed, thank you." Ironwood doesn't even turn to face them and everything they have to say, and they quickly nod- exiting the room without saying another word. 

By now everyone has woken up, now sharply, if unpleasantly, present.

James gives a slow nod, "I'm sure you have questions and I'll be happy to answer them, but let's move this to another room?" 

Ruby looks stricken at the thought of leaving Oscar behind, and Qrow feels sympathy bloom hot in his chest. "For Oscar's sake, we'll follow you. But you better answer every damn question we have, and then some." 

"Of course." He says like it's obvious, like he's someone to be trusted. Like the past day just hadn't happened.

Qrow stifles back a groan and lets him lead them out of the room and back down the long, draining hallways.

-

The room James takes them into what seems like an office, though with less pomp as the usual Ironwood affair. He sits at a small desk with a simple computer and some files stacked on top, James glances at them briefly before shifting his sight back to the rest of them. "I'm sure you have questions."

Nora snorts, "Good guess."

"And I'll answer them all, I swear, but give me a chance to explain."

Qrow bites his cheek- clenching and unclenching his hands. He runs a hand down his stiff face, trying to get a grip on the whirlwind of whatever the fuck was going on inside his head. "You're going to have to do a lot more than just explain, James. Think more on the lines of redemption." 

James' eyes slip shut, a brief admission, before his expression evens out and his voice grows hard. "Qrow you of all people should understand why." 

He pauses and when Qrow offers nothing in return he speaks, "I guess I should start at the beginning. Qrow knows this, but the device that was used is known as an Aura Transfer Machine, it was developed in Atlas Labs around two years ago in response to when the last Fall maiden fell. I'm sure you can infer from the name- but its sole purpose is to move Auras."

He turns away from them, looking more general than James, before speaking. "Once I learned of his condition, once I learned the machine could be used to split apart aruas. I knew. I knew something had to be done."

Ruby steps forward, posture rigid with emotion, "What," she gathers herself, "did you do?"

"I brought Ozpin back." 

Qrow tastes blood.

"Is that even possible?" Yang's voice cuts throw the cloud of rage building in his head.

Ironwood nods, "For a brief window, yes. Which is why I couldn't wait for the debate that would have followed, we didn't have the time. We needed to act now, with Salem on the horizon, couldn't risk their auras fusing any further."

"Or you couldn't risk Oscar's saying no." Ruby snapped.

"That's not-"

"Isn't it?" She fumed, "That's why we weren't brought in on this. That's why you locked us in a room, because you knew what he'd say and how we’d react!"

Ironwood slams his hands down on the desk, "I did what needed to be done! We can't do this- beat her- without Ozpin. I said I'd bring him back!" 

"So what did you shove Ozpin's aura into then?" Qrow's voice comes out level, emotions failing to inhabit his words.

At that, Ironwood does sigh "You've all met Penny Polendina."

Realization dawns on Qrow— the hair, the face, and the bitter fact painfully clicking into place.

"Tell me you're lying. Tell me you didn't take Ozpin and shove him into the nearest tin fucking can!" 

Qrow advances on Ironwood, betrayal pushing his every step, "Did you even think about what he would want, James? He left for a godsdamned reason, you think he'd enjoy being forcefully pulled out and then shoved into whichever half-assed plan you thought up while you locked us in the broom closet? Who knows what this will do to their souls, who knows what it will do to them? Do you? Do you have a fucking clue what you've done?" 

Anger punctuates each syllable, and by the end, Qrow has grabbed his collar and pushed him up against the wall. 

His breaths come out loose and uneven, unsteadied by rage. He just barely keeps himself from hitting him. His fingers tighten as they all wait for Ironwood's answer. 

"I did what I had to do."

He swings before he even registers his arm is moving. Qrow's fist connects with James' cheek, feels his teeth grind together as Qrow sends him flying. 

No one tries to pull Qrow back, and he takes a sick sort of pleasure from seeing the mix of fear on Ironwood's face. He deserves to be scared.

"Where is he?" 

"He hasn't woken up-"

"I don't give a damn," Qrow hopes, later, that no one will remember his voice crack. "Let me see him."

Ironwood carefully nods, and slowly stands. He clearly wasn't actually hurt, no way he aura would have cracked under a hit like that. It's a flat reassurance, one that makes Qrow want to swing again.

"Follow me."

-

The next room they're led to is different from the one set up for Oscar. With Armed guards posted outside it feels more like a military base then a hospital. He can’t help but wonder if the guards are meant to keep people out, or in. Ironwood veers away from them at the last second, taking them to a room adjacent to that one. 

  
The layout of the room is different, striking closer to an observation room than the norm. There are about five people standing in front of what looks like a double mirror you’d find in interrogation rooms, talking with each other in hushed whispers. They part when they see Ironwood, making room for Qrow and the rest of them. On the other side of the glass, doctors, nurses, and various others in lab coats walk around the room, speaking with each other and filing observations down on PADDs. But in the center of the commotion, he sees a figure in a bed. Qrow manages to keep his shit together this time, but his breath still hitches when he sees that face.  
  
Behind him, he hears Jaune choke on a gasp, the noise catching in his throat.  
  
Ren voices what they’re all thinking, “It’s really him.”  
  
Qrow nods like he has the answers. Like he hasn’t been struggling with that fact for the last eight or so hours.

Behind him, he hears James clear his throat “I think it’s best to keep the room clear for now. When his condition is stable, we’ll see about visiting but until then we don’t want anyone getting in the way.” 

He hears Ruby and the others move to leave, but Qrow can't bring himself to move. Too much to sort through to just go lose it in another waiting room. He can’t force himself to leave. He can’t.  
  
“I’m staying.” 

“Qrow-”  
  
Qrow scowls, and grinds out, “After all the shit you just pulled, after this absolute disaster of a day, you can afford to give me this.”

James stalls, at a loss for words, “Qrow, I’m trying to do what's right and keep people alive while I do it. He’s in the best hands here, you’d only complicate things.”  
  
“You think this is what was right? You still think you’re the hero- desperately trying to save the world?” Anger makes him dizzy and concern builds hot in his stomach- threaten to spill over. “You’re just trying to save your own skin. I’m staying.”  
  
“Qrow-”  
  
“James,” He snaps, volume rising sharply, “I’m not going. That’s final.”  
  
The atmosphere grows hot in the room, and Qrow wonders absently if it’s going to come to blows. His hand twitches, part of him wanting to have an excuse to punch again. Conflict drowns James’ expression before he gives- shoulders slumping.  
  
“Fine, but stay on this side of the glass.” He exists unceremoniously, frustration coming off him in waves. 

Instantly, some of the tension eases out, and Qrow sighs. Gods, he’s exhausted. He drags a hand down his face before he turns back to the glass, desperately wanting it to be gone and be that much closer to Ozpin. Qrow hates himself a little.  
  
“Uncle Qrow?” Ruby sounds awful, tired, and worn down. An old protective instinct flares up at the noise.  
  
He walks over to her, and rests a hand on her shoulder. He pulls her into a little half-hug, trying to convey all the comfort he can through this. Her arms come to wrap around him, and he dutifully ignores the small, quiet sob that comes from her. Shit.  
  
“You guys should head back.” He only half addresses everyone else, the majority of his attention focused on his niece. “Oscar shouldn’t be alone when he wakes up.”  
  
He says _when_ , even though instinct is screaming _if_. There's no guarantee besides James' word that everything will be alright, and he’s hesitant to trust that.  
  
Ruby nods into his chest before pulling away, giving him a small squeeze on the arm. “Get us when he wakes up.”  
  
The same frantic _if, if, if_ , flickers in his mind— doubt flaring and he has to shove it down.  
  
“Course, kid. Now, get out of here.” She waves him off, sticking her tongue out as she walks but her attempt at humor falls flat. She walks over to Yang, who wraps an arm around her. Weiss and Blake both pull in close and exit together, followed by soon by Ren and Nora. In the end, only Jaune remains. It’s a selfish desire, wanting to be alone with Oz, but Qrow doesn’t have it in him to really care at the moment.  
  
He raises an eyebrow, “You should be with your team.”  
  
Jaune walks past him, to the window. “Shit.”  
  
He’s inclined to agree, but Qrow still heads back over to stand next to him. “You alright?”  
  
Jaune gives a halfhearted shrug, and Qrow wonders if he should push or let it go. In the end, he doesn’t have to decide because Jaune breaks the silence first.  
  
“I used to blame him- for what happened at Beacon. For everything. I guess, I never really thought plainly ‘It’s all Ozpin’s fault.’ but I still blamed him. It was easier, to blame someone that wasn’t here and who I could just be- be mad at. The last time I actually saw him was with Pyrrha and when he was-” Jaune cuts himself off, face contorting. “He saved me and I blamed him.”  
  
Well. Shit. 

That’s got to be hard. Qrow swallows, and wishes he knew what to say. “You know that’s okay, right? You’ve got every reason to be angry at him.”  
  
“I’m still mad at him.” Jaune says, a little too quick, “For lying to us, and then just running away, and- yeah. I’m still mad at him but I don’t blame him, not really. Not anymore”  
  
Qrow gives a weak nod, still uncomfortable, and having no idea how to approach the subject.  
  
“It’s just weird, seeing him again after all that.”  
  
That startles a laugh out of Qrow, “You nailed it there.”  
  
He looks back through the window, at the soft white hair and gentle expression. Yeah, weird is one way to put it.  
  
“I’m going to go check on Oscar.” Jaune leaves, and the weight of being left alone, almost with Ozpin, settles down on top of him.  
  
Qrow sighs again, placing his fist against the glass. Gods, he wishes he could go in there. He would, if he thought for a second one of the Atlas bootlicker’s wouldn’t immediately go rat him out to James. He wants to be in there, with him. He wants Oz to wake up, so they can go from there.  
  
He always wants Oscar to be okay and Ozpin back where he’s supposed to be. He wants Ozpin to have trusted him, at all, for a second.  
  
Right now, though, he’d settle for just being in the room. He leans forward, resting his forehead against the glass. Qrow can feel the weight of the few remaining scientists in the room gaze rest on him and silently dares them to say anything.  
  
They don’t, thank gods, but they do slowly fall back into line with their work. They ask over intercoms about his condition, type things down, exchange whispers and glances, all while never treating this as a life or death situation. Just another state-sanctioned experiment. His jaw clenches and he crosses his arms, he can’t wait to be able to finally leave Atlas.  
  
Once his legs finally got tired, he went and hunted down a chair. He pushes it across the floor- letting it squeak and takes some small, petty satisfaction at seeing the annoyance on the doctor's faces. He positioned it in front of the window, and has been sitting there for a while. Besides the clock on the wall, there’s no concrete way to tell how much time has passed with the lack of windows lighting natural light in. It reminds Qrow of being trapped underground and he squirms slightly in his seat.  
  
The only other way is the slowly diminishing amount of employees in the room. One by one, they each leave the room. It takes longer for the ones in the observation room with Qrow, but eventually, they too empty the space until the only thing separating Qrow and Ozpin is a wall. He waits a few beats after the last worker has left before he launches out of the chair and rushes towards the door. He carefully opens the door, peering out of the gap to make sure the hallway is empty. He slips out after a moment right before his heart drops as he remembers the guards.  
  
Shit. He had completely forgotten about them. Still, he doesn’t want to just walk away. Taking a breath and steeling himself, he heads over.  
  
“What are you two still standing here?” He barks, pretending to be as authoritarian as he can muster. They exchange confused glances before looking back at Qrow.  
  
“Well? Ironwood called everyone to his office hours ago.” They look taken back before the taller one speaks.  
  
“We never received that order.”  
  
Qrow mock groans and crosses his arms, “Look, bud, that’s not on me. I’m just trying to save your skins. Between you and me, the general is pretty pissed off and I wouldn’t want to push it if I were you. But, hey, if you want to disobey a direct order from the general…” He shrugs at the end, feigning disinterest. They look at each other again before speed walking down the hall. Qrow watches them leave, a smirk growing on his face. He gives it a minute before he enters, eternally grateful that it wasn’t locked.  
  
The lights have been dimmed but there’s still something unsettling bright about the room that sets him on edge. He slowly walks toward the center of the room, ignoring the pit in his stomach. He glances over to the window and realizes it’s not actually a double mirror. Well, hey, at least that’s something.  
  
There’s no furniture in the room besides the bed. The rest of the room empty except for the medical equipment, even though the room itself is much larger than Qrow initially realized do to all the people that were in here. The emptiness seems to loom large and does nothing to put him at ease.  
  
Upon closer inspection, he realizes that the equipment isn’t what you’d normally find in a hospital, none of the input on the screens anything Qrow can parse. Then again, he supposes they’re not really looking to record heart rate and breaths. They’re not looking for anything that a normal human would give off, because Ozpin isn’t really a human anymore. If he ever was. Qrow finally wills himself to look at the bed, and his head spins. 

It really is Ozpin. He can’t tell if he wants to scream or cry. He struggles to think for a moment, his mind tripping over the fact that Ozpin, actually Ozpin, is here. It’s a jarring juxtaposition- him blood-stained, and burned almost unrecognizable- to here, eye’s closed peaceful like he's asleep and wasn’t a ghost two months ago. He reaches out, almost unconsciously, and just a hair from touching him before he flinches back.  
  
He’s been here before, he thinks. Unable to consider living in a world without Ozpin, stuck in the denial of _He'll be back,_ but wholly incapable of forgetting Ozpin's empty eyes and slack expression. He can’t decide if the circumstances have improved or not. Before, Oz being everything he’d ever wanted, to see him hurt like that, hurt beyond repair— and now, when he’s fallen so far from everything Qrow believed but still just as hurt, just in a new way.  
  
Nothings changed from then, nothing that would have made this even marginally easier to swallow. Easier not to feel just as distraught, as desolate. His fingers tighten in the sheets.  
  
“Shit, Oz, you’ve really gotten yourself into a mess now.”  
  
He pauses, not sure if he’s waiting for a response or what. After another moment of silence, he speaks again.

“I mean we’ve both been in some tough situations before but this? This is something else.” He gives a weak laugh, “Told you we never should have involved James.”  
  
Where he’d normally get a short reprimand that was never actually serious, he’s met with silence.  
  
“I just don’t get it, Oz. I don’t understand why you kept it all from me. Why you just bailed.” He rests his other hand on the bed, leaning all his weight against the mattress. “I mean, I know why you left. I just wish- I wish you would have tried to fix it. I wish you would have just let me in for once. I gave you _everything_ I had Oz, and I would have given more if you’d just ask.”  
  
His voice is hardly audible when he says, “I still would.”  
  
The sheets beneath his hands shift, and his eyes shoot up towards the head of the bed. Qrow’s heart skips a beat as he sees Ozpin’s eyes struggle to open for a moment, gaze unfocused, and aimed towards the ceiling before his head turns in Qrow’s direction. 

His voice is hard to catch and raspier than normal, but still startling and heartbreakingly familiar. “Qrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there will only be one more chapter left but I do plan on making this a series! I've already started working on the next work because I love robots and this qualifies as self-care. All the comments on the last chapter made me big uwu. You guys were all so sweet, and I hope this lived up to everyone's expectations!
> 
> Quick edit: had to go back and fix some minor formatting errors! Dyslexia haunts me

**Author's Note:**

> I'm hoping to post sometime next week but I don't plan on having a schedule. The next chapters are going to be longer, (and are mostly written!) so looking forward to that! The only reason the first one is so short is because this was the best place to break, I think. All the chapters were originally meant to be written together as a one-shot but I decided to split it up for various reasons.


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